Sleep
by 9r7g5h
Summary: All Felix wanted her to do was go to sleep.


AN: I've been feeling a bit down lately, so I needed some fluff to help make me feel better. Hopefully you all like it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wreck It Ralph. Disney does.

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Tamora thrived on very little sleep.

In part because of her programming and partly due to habit, she had turned out to be the kind of person who could get two hours of sleep the night before and still be ready to spend the entire day fighting cybugs. Having perfected the technique of stealing catnaps during those few quiet moments between quarter alerts, she was always ready to go. Whether it be day or night, rain or shine, an arcade threating disaster or just a pleasant jump over to Sonic's or Mario's for a picnic, Tamora was always at her best with very little sleep.

Not that she didn't enjoy the occasional day of just dozing in bed with Felix when the arcade was closed and nothing was planned, but she was always at her peak when she was almost about to fall asleep. No other way to stay alive in a game where the slightest moment of weakness and lapse in judgment meant getting eaten by a bug.

Felix, on the other hand, needed his rest.

Thirty years of a strict schedule had set him in his ways, leaving him yawning and ready for bed by the time the clock struck ten. Before Ralph had decided to game jump, this had been more than enough time to do everything he had wanted and still be able to relax a bit before going to sleep. Within those five hours between the arcade closing and him turning in, friends had been visited, repairs had been made, and life had been lived so that he was content. Now, however, with the added time that he spent with his family, time spent having adventures and exploring the games that he had known but never seen fit to visit, the amount of time spent doing something as ordinary as sleeping had been greatly reduced. While he was normally able to stave off the effects through pies and coffee, he generally had to spend a day each week resting, catching up on what he had missed for the days that were to come.

"Felix," Tamora said with a soft chuckle as she gently nudged her husband, her book held in one hand as the other shook him awake. "Go to bed, soldier. You're falling asleep on me. Again."

Normally he went to sleep as soon as possible whenever he could, but tonight, just like he had for the past few nights, he had decided to stay awake until she decided to join him.

"No," Felix replied sleepily as he pushed himself back into a sitting position, retrieving his own novel from where it had fallen onto the couch. "I said that I was going to stay awake until you came to bed with me, and I mean what I say, Tammy." Pausing to stifle a yawn that was threatening his resolve, Felix quickly rubbed at his eyes before turning to the page he had left off from, his face set into a stubborn expression as he began to read once again. "You need more sleep, Tamora, and until you agree, neither of us are getting what we should."

Biting back a laugh as Felix's eyes began to skim the page, oblivious to the fact that his book was upside down as he just tried to stay awake, a fond sigh forced itself from her as she reached over and began to run her fingers through his hair, a habit that she had picked up early on in their relationship. Despite her reassurance that she was fine, Felix had been getting on her case the last few weeks about her sleeping habits, claiming that all four of them were developing an unhealthy avoidance to rest that needed to change. Vanellope had been easy to convince and convert to his new schedule, especially once they had discovered that a mug of hot cocoa after a long day of game jumping was the perfect way to knock the little princess out cold. The wrecker had taken a bit longer to see the reasoning behind Felix's proclamation, but once he had seen just how energetic President Von Schweetz had become after a few good nights, he too had been forced to begin turning in early so that he could keep up with the energetic little racer.

Out of the four, she had been the only one to refuse to adopt his ridiculous plan, which actually called for them getting exactly eight hours every single night. Felix, having decided that a (not really) silent protest would be the best course of action to change her mind, hadn't slept for more than an hour or two each night for the past week. Which, like tonight, was humorous when they remained at home and spent the night enjoying each other's company. Not so much when they decided to jump into a potentially dangerous game or he was hurt while at work because he couldn't see the brick or duck while yawning.

"You're going to get hurt during a game again tomorrow if you don't get some sleep," Tamora pointed out softly as she closed her book, the tips of her fingers massaging his scalp as he leaned into her touch. Already his eyes were beginning to slip close once again, his will just not strong enough to keep them open.

"And one of these days you're going to get hurt by a bug," Felix murmured as he leaned against her, his body unconsciously curling so that he fit into the curve of her side, his head half on her stomach as he fought his losing battle to stay awake. "Don't want that to happen. Won't if you're not tired."

"Not going to happen at all, Fix-It," Tamora reassured him as she scooped him into her arms, careful to make her movements as smooth as possible as she made her way to their bedroom. Lifting the covers, she gently slid him between the sheets before placing a soft kiss onto his forehead, running her fingers through his hair one last time before turning away to return to her book. It had just gotten good, and, seeing as how it was only one in the morning, there were still quite a few hours before she would join him.

"Come and cuddle," Felix said sleepily as he reached out and grabbed her hand before she was out of reach, his gentle tugging bringing her back to his side. "If you're not going to sleep, then at least cuddle with me until I am."

"When did you get so attached," Tamora teased as, with a sigh, she walked over and laid onto her side of the bed, her arms automatically opening to welcome her husband as he wiggled his way across the mattress to press against her. Chuckling as his warm breath tickled her neck as his head found its spot on her shoulder, Tamora decided that allowing herself to relax for the few minutes it would take for him to fall asleep wouldn't do any harm. She would allow herself to be soft until his breathing evened, then she would go straight back to being the tough marine that she was and finish reading about her war tactics.

"When I fell in love with you," Felix replied as his arms wrapped around her waist, ineffectively 'trapping' her as he allowed himself to concede defeat and being to slip into the slumber that awaited him. "I became attached when you almost shot me."

"Which one is it, soldier," Tamora asked gruffly, though she mentally groaned a moment later when his bleary eyes opened once again to look at her. And he had almost been asleep, too. "You either became attached when you fell in love with me or when I almost shot you," Tamora clarified, not quite sure how aware of their conversation he was at the moment. "Which one is it?"

"Both, because they happened at the exact same time." Just as love struck when he was mostly asleep as he was when awake, that was the last thing Felix said before he finally drifted off, the rise and fall of his chest evening out as his heart slowed to its resting state.

"Short, eight-bit dork." Terms of endearment when coming from her; reasons to beat someone when coming from anyone else. Chuckling as she tightened her grip around Felix, Tamora placed a kiss onto the top of head as she pulled him closer to her. Although his weight was light it was still a comfort, his skin warm where it pressed against her own. Biting back a yawn, she allowed herself a few more minutes of dozing before she gently began to untangle Felix's arms from around her waist, pushing him back onto his side of the bed so that she could go back to her book.

"Tammy, no," Felix mumbled, his words almost blurred together as he wiggled back closer toward her, his arms automatically returning to their place around her as he blinked wearily up at her. "Can't leave. Not asleep yet."

"You little faker," Tamora growled softly as she lay back down, frowning as her promise forced her to stay in the bed next to him. "When did you become such a good actor, Fix-It?"

"Since Vanellope's picnic, when no one else showed up," he replied, sighing as he snuggled closer to her side, his lips twisting upward into a smile as he did so. It hadn't been her fault that a cybug had escaped the beacon, forcing her to skip the princess's impromptu party that she had promised to be at. Ralph's prior engagement at Bad Anon had kept him as well, leaving only Felix to keep the child entertained.

Looks like that had finally come back to bite her.

"Why don't you just go to sleep already," Tamora asked, the heel of her hand running up and down his spin in an attempt to push him closer to sleep, hoping that a conversation would tire him enough that she could escape. "You know you need it."

"No," Felix pouted, his stubborn streak showing through. "Can't make me. But you promised, so I can."

"Little sneak," Tamora growled, glaring at her husband as just how good of a plan he had come up with hit her. She had promised to stay with him until he fell asleep; until she was sure that he was sleeping, she couldn't leave. Since she couldn't tell, she couldn't leave. "That's the last time I'm leaving you alone with her highness. _And_ we're going to be having a little discussion tomorrow about corrupting innocent handymen and turning them against their wives."

"Good night, Tammy," Felix said smugly, knowing from her words that he had finally won. "Love you."

"Love you too, short stack," Tamora admitted grudgingly as she shifted the covers, destroying her quick escape in lieu of being warm. "Can't believe you talked me into going to bed this early."

"Tammy, it's almost two in the morning. Go to sleep."

Figuring that anymore arguing would go to waste when the battle had already been lost, her only reply was to pull Felix closer so that she could curl protectively around him, give in to the order that she had been trying to resist for so long, and let herself fall asleep. But not before kissing her husband's cheeks until they flushed with the honeyglows that she loved.

Tamora thrived on very little sleep. Sometimes, however, it was preferable to sleep with Felix than it was to stay awake alone.


End file.
